Then And Now Life: Offices In I970 vs. Offices In 2012 [Infographic]

In the 1970s, the three most popular careers that women chose were either a nurse, a secretary or a teacher. They weren’t the only career choices women had back then of course, but they were the most popular. I stumbled across an article today on AOL Jobs that said the most popular careers that women hold now, in 2012, are also a nurse, a secretary (administrative assistant) or a teacher. Wow, although it seems like we’ve come a long way, maybe it hasn’t been as far as we thought. What about the office environments? How have those changed from 1970 till now? This “then and now life” style infographic illustrates the differences, and if you are a technology fan, it will make you smile.

If you think it’s frustrating when your Internet connection goes out, imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have the Internet at all. How would you like it if you had to type on a typewriter all day instead? Eeek…It kinda makes us seem spoiled, doesn’t it? I vaguely remember the sound of a dot matrix printer and a modem – and both of them make that feeling of nostalgia rush over me. The then and now life comparisons make it almost seem like we were living on a different planet back then.

It seems like the biggest difference between the two, which this infographic doesn’t address, would be the non-existent mobile office back then. If you were expecting an important phone call, you had to sit at your desk until it came. There were no smartphones and no such thing as working efficiently with mobile devices. Instead of carrying around a laptop, people (men) carried around briefcases full of papers. If you were working in the 1970s, I would love to hear your perspective on what it’s like now compared to then. I’m sure there were advantages and disadvantages to both the then and now life in offices, but of course, I would choose the one we have today. Doh! [Best Things About Being in Business 1970 vs. 2012 infographic by metrofax]